Method of and apparatus for winding a web of material on a core



June 23, 1970 H. LENTEN 3,516,620

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR WINDING A WEB 0F MATERIAL ON A CORE Filed May 20, 1968 SWITCHES UNIT l5 I OPERATED BY- SWITCH 47X ACTUATES UNIT 48 SWITCH 254-25 OPERATES UNIT l5 A T RNEYS United States Patent 3,516,620 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR WINDING A WEB 0F MATERIAL ON A CORE Hendrik Lenten, Veendam, Netherlands, assignor to N.V. Machinefabriek Oost-Groningen, Nieuwe Pekela, Netherlands, a corporation of the Netherlands Filed May 20,-1968, Ser. No. 730,493 Int. Cl. B65h 17/02 US. Cl. 242--67.1 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The leading end of a web of material is attached to a core and the web is then wound on the core preferably by driving the periphery of the roll being formed.

This invention relates to a method of winding a web of material on to a core, and to an apparatus for carrying out said method.

Several methods and apparatuses for winding webs of material are being used in practice, and the present in- 'vention has for its object to provide such an improvement with respect to these that the winding operation can be effected more etficiently.

To achieve this, according to the invention, the leading end of the web is attached to the core and the web is then wound on the core, which windingmay be effected by driving the periphery of the roll being wound. According to the invention, the web is supplied on a conveyor belt, and the core, which rests on the web and the conveyor belt, is restrained from being moved along with the conveyor belt by retaining means, so that the core is rotated and the web winds itself on the core. Said retaining means may also supply the necessary reaction force during the attachment of the leading end of the web to the core, the web being attached by attaching devices moving through openings in and/or along the belt. Preferably the web is attached to the core and the core partly wound in a first station. The incompletely wound roll thus formed is moved by the conveyor belt to a second station, where the core is retained, and the winding is completed by the moving conveyor belt while the core is under a compressive load.

The apparatus is equipped with suitable means for carrying out the method, and generally comprises a conveyor belt, attaching devices disposed below the active run of the conveyor belt, and retaining means disposed above the conveyor belt, the attaching devices and the retaining means being disposed in opposite relationship to each other, and the attaching devices being movable through openings in and/or along the lateral edges of the conveyor belt.

Further features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention. This embodiment is shown diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. 1 is a side view of the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, and

FIG. 3 shows a detail not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

For the sake of clarity several parts shown in FIG. 1 are not shown in FIG. 2, and the other way round.

Referring to the drawings, there are shown rollers 1, 2 and 3, about which are lapped a number of endless conveyor belts 4 with some interspace 5. The roller 1 is the driving roller and roller 2 is a tension roller.

Disposed above the conveyor belts are two U-sections 6, having an arcuate shape and with their open Sides facing each other. The sections 6 are carried by bars 7, along "ice which they are movable towards and away from each other. The sections 6 thus form a magazine for core rolls 8, which magazine, owing to the movability of sections 6, can be adapted to the length of the rolls 8. The ends of the rolls 8 are provided with taps 9 extending into the sections 6.

In order that the rolls 8 can be dropped one by one on the conveyor belts 4, each lower end of the sections 6 is provided with a passage mechanism 10, including a pneumatic piston-and-cylinder unit 11 capable of moving a T-shaped rocker 12, which moves a pair of pins 13, hinged to the rocker 12 and extending into holes in the sections 6, alternately into and out of the path through which the taps 9 must fall.

A first winding station is provided over the conveyor belts 4, wherein each section 6 has a carrying plate 14 secured to it, the plates 14 being each provided with a lowering mechanism comprising a pneumatic piston-andcylinder unit 15, and a carrier 16, formed integrally with the piston and carrying three rotatable disks 17, between which the taps 9 can be received.

Under the conveyor belts 4 and oppositely to the lowering mechanism 15-17 there is provided a cross-bar 18, which is carried by two swivelling arms 19. The arms 19 can be pushed upwardly by a wedge 21 mounted on the piston rod of a pneumatic piston-and-cylinder unit 20 for cooperation with a roller 22 on the arms 19. The crossbar 18 carries a plurality of pneumatic staplers 23, whose stapling heads 24 can extend into the spaces 5 between the belts 4 as the bar 18 moves upwards. The staplers 23 may be of any known type, and are therefore not further described.

Located approximately in the vertical plane containing the disks 17 that are positioned in the direction of advance, on each side of the machine, is a stop, at the same time electric switch 25 for operating unit 15 to lower carrier 16. These stops are carried through rods 26, shown in FIG. 2, by the carrying plates 14, so that they can only contact the taps 9 of the cores. By virtue of the fact that they are connected through the plates 14 with the sections 6, the stops are adjusted to the length of the cores 8 as the sections 6 are adjusted. FIG. 2 shows a core 8 on the belts upstream of the stops 25.

A pressure switch 27 is arranged above the carrier 16 for operation by the carrier 16 when the carrier 16 resting on the core of a body being wound is moved upwards. An arm 16 hits switch 27 to actuate unit 15 and raise carrier 16 so that disks 17 are raised clear of taps 9 and allow the partially wound roll to move with belt 4 away from the first winding station.

Disposed at the discharge end of the apparatus shown is a second winding station, in which the winding of the rolls to be formed is completed, and from which the completed roll is finally ejected. The principal parts in the second winding station are suspended from the upper end of the sections 6 which by means of a vertical set of beams 31 and a horizontal set of beams 32 are united to form rigid frame structures movable over the rods 7.

Journalled at the upper end of the sections 6 is a shaft 33, which carries guide members 34, the latter being mounted for swivelling movement and being lockable in the vertical position by pneumatic piston-and-cylinder units 35. The unit 35 carries a wedge 36 adapted to cooperate with a recess of a cross-arm 37 on the guide rods 34. Rubber pads 38 are provided to dampen the impact when the guide rods 34 swing into the locking position.

Mounted for up and down movement along the guide rods are retaining and holding mechanisms 39. The mechanisms 39 are suspended from a chain 40 lapped about sprockets 41 on the shaft 33 and about sprockets 42 mounted on the guide rods 34. Inserted in a part of the chain are carriages 43 of the retaining mechanism 39.

Mounted for rotation along with the upper sprockets 41 are brake disks 44, which cooperate with pivotable brak ing blocks 45 to form one-way brakes which have a braking etfect when the retaining mechanisms 39 move upwardly, but do not interfere with the downward movement of these mechanisms.

At the lower ends of the guide rods 34, one flange 46 extends further downwardly than the opposite flange. The extended flange 46 constitutes an abutment for retaining the taps 9 of the cores. Also mounted on the abutment flange 46 is a switch 47, which is operated by the taps 9. The rods 31 further carry through piston-and-cylinder units 48 pawl members 49, which retain the carriages 39 during their downward movement in a certain position in which the retaining element 46 and the switch 47 are located at the right level for retaining the taps 9 of the cores of an incompletely wound roll fed to them. When the switch 47 is operated, each pneumatic piston-and-cylinder unit 48 is energized to release its associated pawl 49, which lowers the carriages further to press down the taps 9 of the core.

FIG. 1 shows the position in which the winding of a roll 53 is completed. By energizing the cylinder unit 35, the locking is released, and the roll, which is still driven by the conveyor belts 4 at its bottom, will move to the discharge end of the machine, during which movement the guide rods 34 swing apart. As a result the taps 9 can slide downwardly along the guide rods 34 and pass the abutments 46. The carriages 39 do not follow, because the chain 40 is retained by piston-and-cylinder units 51 with pins 52, which are secured to the guide rods 34 and are energized in this phase. After the return of the guide rods, they are again locked by the elements 36, 37, and the second station is ready to complete the next roll.

FIG. 1 also shows a partly wound roll 53 between the stations.

At the beginning of an operating cycle, a switch is operated to energize the cylinder unit 10, so that a core roll 8 drops on to the conveyor belts 4, is taken along by these until its taps 9 operate the switches 25, as a result of which the cylinder unit 15 lowers the carrier 16 and the rollers 17 engage the taps 9 and push down the core 8 on the belts 4. The web of material to be wound is then fed to the core 8 by the belts 4. As soon as the leading end of the web passes the core 8, the operation of a switch, for example, a hand-operated switch or a photocell device, causes the cylinder unit 20 to be energized as a result of which the latter causes the rod 18 to swing upwards, and the staplers 23, 24 attach the leading end to the core. After the staplers have returned in their lowermost position, the belts 4 feed the web further, whereby the core 8 and the roll being wound are driven at the bottom of their periphery. When the body has reached a certain height, the switch 27 is operated by the carrier 16, and the piston-and-cylinder unit is energized in an opposite sense to raise the carrier 16, so that the roll formed is free to move along with the belts 4. The taps 9 meanwhile occupy a higher position and can pass over the switches 25. The roll is then moved to the second station, operates the switch therein, and the winding is completed as described above.

To prevent the partially wound roll from becoming unwound during its travel between the two winding stations, hold-down wires or bands are provided in this zone at a suitable height above the belts 4 for travel at the same velocity as that of the belts 4. These means are not shown in the drawings.

It will be evident that the control of the apparatus can be effected in various manners by means of switches operated automatically or by hand.

I claim:

1. A method of winding a web of material on a core, which comprises the steps of attaching the leading end of the web to the core and then winding the web on the core wherein the web is supplied on a conveyor belt, and

the core, resting on the web and the conveyor 'belt is restrained from movement along with the conveyor belt by retaining means, so that the core is rotated and the web winds itself on the core, said retaining means also providing the reaction force necessary when the leading end of the web is attached to the core, the web being attached to the core by attaching devices mounted for movement through openings in the belt.

2. A method of winding a web of material on a core, wherein the web is supplied on a conveyor belt, and the core, resting on the web and the conveyor belt, is restrained from movement along with the conveyor belt by retaining means, so that the core is rotated and the web winds itself on the core, the Web being attached to the core and an initial portion of the web being wound on the core in a first station, the incomplete roll thus formed being moved along with the conveyor belt to a second station, in which the core is retained and the winding is completed by the moving conveyor belt while the core is under a compressive load.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said retaining means also provide the reaction force necessary when the leading end of the web is attached to the core, the web being attached to the core by attaching devices mounted for the movement through openings in the belt.

4. An apparatus for winding a web of material on a core, comprising a conveyor belt, attaching means for attaching the leading end of the web to the core, said attaching means being disposed below the active run of the conveyor belt, and retaining means disposed above said conveyor belt, said attaching means and said retaining means being disposed in opposite relationship to each other, and said attaching means being movable transversely through the plane of the conveyor belt.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said retaining means are arranged to bias the core of a roll being formed towards the conveyor belt and to move along with the core away from the conveyor belt as the roll is formed.

6. An apparatus according to claim 4, comprising a first winding station in which the attaching means and the retaining means are active and a second winding station including retaining means and arranged for completion and ejection of the roll.

7. An apparatus according to claim 4, comprising a first winding station in which the attaching means and the retaining means are active and a second winding station including retaining means and arranged for completion and ejection of the roll, the retaining means in the second station being guided along guide members along which the core of the roll being wound is guided upwardly.

8. An apparatus according to claim 4, comprising a first winding station in which the attaching means and the retaining means are active and a second winding station including retaining means and arranged for completion and ejection of the roll, the retaining means in the second station being guided along guide members, along which the core of the roll being wound is guided upwardly, said guide members being pivotally supported at their top ends, being arranged to be maintained in their operative position by locking means, and being designed upon being released by said locking means to swing apart to allow discharge of a completed roll.

9. An apparatus according to claim 4, comprising a first winding station in which the attaching means and the retaining means are active and a second winding station including retaining means and arranged for completion and ejection of the roll, the retaining means in the second station being guided along guide members, along which the core of the roll being wound is guided upwardly, and being coupled in one-way braking means.

10. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said conveyor belt is composed of a plurality of bands in 5 spaced side-by-side relationship, between which the attaching means can move.

11. An apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a core magazine, means for dropping said cores one by one on the conveyor belt, and retaining means for holding a core at the point Where the web is wound upon it.

12. An apparatus according to claim '4, further comprising means for holding said retaining means in a position in which a core can come into a winding station, then lowering them on to the core, and after a winding phase moving them in such a manner that they release the core for discharge from the station.

13. A method of winding a web of material on a core wherein said web is supplied on a conveyor belt, said method comprising the steps of resting a core on said web and conveyor belt at a first winding station, attaching a leading end of said web to said core, restraining said core from movement along with said conveyor belt so that said core is rotated and an initial portion of said Web is wound upon said core at said first winding station for forming an incomplete roll, moving said incomplete roll along with said conveyor belt to a second winding station, again restraining said core and the incomplete roll from movement along with said conveyor belt for rotating said core and completing the winding of said incomplete roll.

14. A method of winding a web as defined in claim 13 including the steps of introducing a second core at said first station and attaching the leading end of a second web thereto.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS NATHAN L. MINTZ, Primary Examiner 

